| Hakim Hayat |
HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has called for the strengthening of the management of the obligatory Zakat (tithe), in the country, in efforts towards the empowerment of its recipients, especially the poor.
In the titah to mark the National Level Nuzul Al-Quran Celebration for 1439 Hijrah, or the day of the revelation of Al-Quran to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), last evening, His Majesty said that methods and strategies for the management of Zakat must be constantly rationalised and one way for this is to find the best solution to eradicate poverty through Zakat funds so that those groups who qualify to receive it can be self-sufficient, allowing them to become givers instead of recipients in the future.
The event was held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas last evening. Also in attendance were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik; and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
Some of the ways to manage the Zakat sustainably include the capitalisation of tithe money to educate its recipients to run or start-up their own businesses until they can succeed, so that they can be capable of stepping out of poverty, His Majesty said. “If this can be achieved, it will definitely be a significant accomplishment in the management of Zakat,” added the monarch.
His Majesty urged the relevant parties to devise and undertake a method that would inculcate more awareness to bring about a change in attitude. “Change is the desire of progressive communities. Without change, there will be no stories of progress. No doubt, progress is synonymous with change and this is why we really want a wave of change to allow us to step forward,” the monarch noted.
His Majesty reminded that the management of Zakat should not be “static” in nature, but it should be sensible for it to improve constantly and have the “right way” to overcome any challenges.
Earlier in the titah, His Majesty highlighted the importance of Al-Quran as the ideal guidance for all aspects of life, encompassing the present and the hereafter.
“Zakat is one of the guidances given by Al-Quran, which is obligatory and one of the five principles of Islam.
“The system of giving, distributing and collecting the tithe is derived from Al-Quran and Al-Hadith as a way to manage economies of the Muslim Ummah. As believers of Al-Quran, it is compulsory that we practise its teachings and Zakat is one of them,” said the monarch, adding that “it is the greatest system to manage an economy because it teaches the organised way of distributing fortunes in which the rich becomes a contributor while those who is qualified becomes a recipient”.
His Majesty was greeted on arrival at the ICC by the Chief of Adat Istiadat Negara Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Aziz bin Pengiran Jaya Negara Pengiran Haji Abu Bakar; Minister of Religious Affairs and Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Major Events in Islamic Calendar for 1439 Hijrah, Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman; Minister of Finance II Dato Seri Paduka Dr Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah; State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned; Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Pengiran Dato Seri Paduka Haji Bahrom bin Pengiran Haji Bahar; Deputy Minister of Finance Dato Paduka Awang Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman and other members of the committee.
The winners of this year’s finals of the National Level Al-Quran Memorisation and its Understanding Competition were also announced during the event and His Majesty consented to present prizes to the top three winners of the five different categories contested.
In Category ‘A’ (age 11 and below), the first place was taken by Ezyan Adibah binti Mohd Hanafi and Category ‘B’ (age 17 and below) was won by Nur Najihah binti Alias. Category ‘C’ was won by Julazni bin Haji Zaini while Category ‘D’ was won by Salwa binti Haji Ibrahim and the first place winner for Category ‘E’ was Abdul Aziz bin Noor Nasran.
The Minister of Religious Affairs in his welcoming remarks highlighted the increase in the number of participants in the competition.
A total of 309 individuals took part in the contest this year; an increase of 100 participants from last year, he noted.
The event also saw a special lecture revolving around the theme of this year’s National Level Nuzul Al-Quran Celebration Al-Quran Sumber Kepimpinan Adil, or Al-Quran, the Source of Fair Leadership, delivered by the Syariah High Court Judge Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Tashim bin Pengiran Haji Hassan.